Strategically Communicating

The world is getting smaller, but according to McChesney, throughout the world the global media conglomerates just keep getting bigger. After reading most of his book, I am convinced the Internet is our only hope.  But even this has areas of concern.  Technically, the Internet is owned by everyone…well, everyone that can afford to access it.  This may be true in the United States, but in China the government not only blocks website content but also monitors its people’s access to the Internet.  This fact causes me more concern than the profit seeking corporations that control other forms of media in this country.  McChesney later states “A healthy democracy depends on an informed and educated public.”  If the government has the ability to control what we can and cannot view on the Internet, this form of media that is “owned by everyone,” I guess healthy democracy is an impossibility.  Fortunately, American’s access to the Internet is not censored by our government. How do we make sure that never happens?

In searching ‘who owns the Internet’ on the Internet, I came across an article discussing a recent gathering at the U.N. headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya of the Internet Governance Forum.  http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/10/12/who-owns-the-internet/ Apparently this is a place where individuals with a vested interest in the Internet can come to discuss the Internet.  http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/   The author of this article shares McChesney’s concern about the general population’s lack of concern or involvement in the development of the Internet. According to both, we better speak up…

McChesney states “The Internet…assimilated into the corporate media.”  With the almost infinite number of choices available online, is this statement really true?

Would our government go as far as censoring the Internet?  If so, would we know?

In the cases discussed involving Canada and East Timor, they clearly are not taking free press or democracy for granted.  What needs to happen in the United States for us, the people, to pay closer attention to the monopoly of the media and to do something about it?